2016-02-02 Tue

The magnificent gum block of six 1861 24 Cent Washington stamps was under the hammer at the Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries on 15-18th Dec.

This well-centred, lightly hinged original gum block of six, in a crisp shade of steel blue (Scott 70b) was the largest recorded surviving multiple of the issue.

Though the 1861 24 Cent was printed in a variety of shades, ranging from red lilac to pale gray violet, the steel-blue version is the most desirable one. Since single examples of the steel-blue shade with original gum are elusive, a block of six is considered to be extremely rare.

The block once belonged to the well-known collector George H. Worthington, who exhibited it at the 1913 International Philatelic Exhibition in New York.

Later, it was sold at an auction in 1917 for $1,150 and was probably bought then by Caspary, in whose collection sale it next appeared in 1956, when it sold for $1,900. It was then bought by the anonymous “European connoisseur” whose collection is featured in the current Siegel sale, marking this as only its third time to hit the markets over a span of 100 years.

Its excellent condition and fresh colour prove that it’s been hidden out of sight for a long time. No wonder why the block was sold at a whopping $86,250.